Why don’t TV presenters wear a mask?

Masks have become an indispensable element of protection since the pandemic began, being the first barrier that can prevent coronavirus infections.

In many everyday situations its use is mandatory: in public transport, when shopping in the supermarket, in shops and even taking a walk down the street you should have your nose and mouth covered with a mask.

However, there is a place where masks are not used: the television sets. The presenters of the programs, their guests and the talk shows who participate in them usually do not wear a mask.

Viewers may think that this fact is unjustified, and that to avoid possible infections in the program the mask should also be mandatory. But there are several reasons that explain this phenomenon and that make it a less risky activity than it appears.

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The scientific communicator Deborah García Vello, known on social networks as @deborahciencia, has explained in the program La Hora de la 1 de Spanish Television why on television sets you can wear your face uncovered:

ENTYSOCIAL:https://twitter.com/LaHoraTVE/status/1357641705286164480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw,

“The regulations exempt some professional activities because they are incompatible with the use of a mask. For example, the actors, who continue to make films or series, or the musicians, since a musician who plays a wind instrument cannot wear a mask, and neither on television, “the disseminator begins detailing.

García Vello explains that if a presenter covers his mouth “you end up losing half of your non-verbal communication“, and this means that people with hearing difficulties cannot comfortably follow the program, as well as being more complicated for other viewers.

Also, the fact that masks are not used does not necessarily mean that there is a greater risk. To alleviate this defect, presenters and collaborators undergo a coronavirus detection test continuously. If one of them tests positive, he and his surroundings will have to isolate himself.

Another point in favor is that the sets and television spaces have assisted ventilation, ensuring that the air is renewed and that the security conditions are similar to those found outside, where accumulation of aerosols is much more unlikely.

“Also, the television sets are very big. They are ceilings of at best 10 meters, very large spaces. It can be compared to being outside, “argues Deborah García Vello, emphasizing the security conditions of television.

By last, It should also be clarified that the rest of the workers of the different chains do use a mask. Camera and sound technicians, filmmakers and even copywriters in another location always wear it.

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